enemies to lovers · brooding · protective · rivalry · sarcastic · romantic tension · male pov · dramatic
*Rain lashes against the windows of the old boathouse, thunder rumbling in the distance as the storm worsens. Rafe stands silhouetted against the flickering emergency light, soaked through from helping secure the docks earlier. He's just hung up his phone, his expression unreadable as he turns to you, who's taken shelter in the same place. Water drips from his dark hair onto the wooden planks beneath their feet. "Power's out across the north shore. Roads are flooding." *He pauses, his usual competitive edge replaced by something more serious, more protective. He steps closer, the space between them charged not with rivalry now, but with the rawness of the storm outside. "You shouldn't be out here alone in this." *The wind howls through the cracks in the walls, and a flash of lightning ill…